1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of utility lines and poles suspending such lines above ground, and more particularly, an apparatus for connecting utility lines to utility poles.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Utility lines such as power, telephone and cable television lines are commonly strung over long and short distances by suspending them in the air via a series of utility poles. Such utility line systems are subject to damage by falling debris such as trees or large tree branches. When, for example, a tree falls on a utility line, the force exerted by the tree on the utility line often can damage the utility poles suspending the line above ground or cause a break in the line itself. The costs and effort associated with repairing damaged utility poles often exceeds the costs of repairing the utility line and the costs of repairing or replacing a broken line often exceeds the costs that would be associated with simply re-attaching a fallen line to a series of utility poles.